We can all agree that the luxury brand industry is evolving. With changes in technology and consumer preferences, shifts in the political climate, and developments in other areas that impact the way we do business, this is the case for most industries right now.

That said, retail and wholesale businesses may be feeling this shift more strongly than others.

For many years, we have heard both client companies and candidates discuss going “out of the box”—a phrase that has now given way to the buzzword we’ll be focused on in our discussion today: disruptor.

Yet it is important to separate actual action from using buzzwords to describe old news. One of my favorite questions to ask candidates and clients is: What are you doing in order to thrive in an industry that is experiencing disruption? This question cuts through the hype and requires specific examples.

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True positive disruption, as it pertains to action within a workplace,

manifests as a unique and effective departure from the status quo.

”

I challenge you to ask this question of yourself and answer it honestly when building your own resume. When citing examples of your successes and disruptions, consider whether the actions you took were actually innovative, or if you simply used innovative language to describe something mundane.

For example, not so long ago, the phrase “clienteling” was a unique term in our industry. Now it’s a mandatory aspect of any luxury retail action plan. True positive disruption, as it pertains to action within a workplace, manifests as a unique and effective departure from the status quo.

Also, be sure to think objectively about how your current company is viewed within the industry before selecting the actions you choose to reference in your resume or during interviews.

It is also important that candidates feel comfortable discussing their failures. In the words of Einstein, “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.”

Rather than demonstrating a sense of recklessness with company resources, the right kind of failures will exhibit a candidate’s willingness to try new things and learn from their mistakes.

It’s time to think honestly and objectively about what you’ve done to positively disrupt your business, and then dig deep on how to best highlight these successes in order to present yourself as a more attractive candidate or company.

If you have any other questions or would like more information, feel free to give us a call or send us an email. We look forward to hearing from you soon.